Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng has delivered a pointed critique of Ghana’s education system, describing it as a structure still shaped by colonial intent rather than national development, and warning that without deliberate reform, the country will continue to fall short of its ambitions.
Speaking at the 95th Anniversary Speech and Prize-Giving Day of Accra Academy in Accra on Saturday, March 28, Agyebeng told students, alumni, and dignitaries that the foundations of Ghana’s education were engineered during colonial rule to serve the administrative and commercial interests of Britain, not the progress of Ghanaians. The event was held under the theme “Education as the Catalyst for Preserving Heritage, Driving Innovation, and Empowering Future Leadership.”
Agyebeng, himself a proud alumnus of Accra Academy, said the colonial design of Ghana’s education system was deliberate. “Our education was modelled on what the colonialists thought fit to churn us out as their half-baked appendages, not for our sakes, but to suit their purposes of a workforce designed to carry out the basics of colonial administration and rudimentary commerce,” he said.
He argued that post-independence institutional development, including the establishment of the University of Ghana, did little to fundamentally dismantle that blueprint. The result, he contended, has been a system that continues to overemphasise theoretical instruction at the expense of practical skills, innovation, and industrial thinking, leaving Ghana exposed to cycles of dependency and slow development.
The Special Prosecutor called for a conscious redesign of Ghana’s educational framework to reflect the realities and priorities of modern nationhood, one that weaves cultural identity together with critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and strengthened technical and vocational training. “We must shape an educational system that works for us,” he said.
His remarks align with growing concern among education stakeholders that Ghana’s curriculum remains heavily exam-centred, with weak connections between academic institutions and industry. The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) head’s intervention at an educational forum underscores the view that structural reform of the system is no longer a matter of academic debate but one of national urgency.
